But what if the character I want to play has a higher Wis than 14? My character idea is an extremely wise goblin, not a decently wise goblin. Why should I be limited by an arbitrary rule which says that it's impossible for a level 1 goblin to have 16 Wis?
You'll increase your Wisdom at increased levels as is intended.
Arguing that this is an "arbitrary rule" is nonsense. All game rules are arbitrary at heart. This is a rule that makes the diversity of races more interesting and have different mechanical advantages. Removing it makes all races more homogenic and less interesting. You might as well be arguing that you shouldn't be limited by classes or any other arbitrary mechanics.
Increasing my Wisdom at level 4 doesn't really help if I want my character to start out incredibly wise.
I agree that it is good to have races in general be different. Orcs, as a whole, are stronger and dumber than humans, etc. But PCs are supposed to be the exception to the norm, the especially talented members of their races, which should apply to ability score bonuses.
Originally Posted by Dexai
Originally Posted by mrfuji3
I'd draw a distinction between "ensuring your character has their main stat at 16" and the more extreme versions of power-gaming (e.g., taking a level in multiple classes purely for the mechanical bonuses, choosing a race for the racial traits that combo well with your class, etc).
The former ensures that your character will be as effective as other players' characters, whereas the latter takes you above-and-beyond effectiveness to possibly overpowered compared to the rest of your party.
It's just a matter of a +1. Regarding that one point as so important that it will make or break a character is pure power gaming. A Goblin with a 14 Wis will not be noticeably less effective than any other characters unless you're playing with a bunch of other power gamers.
Saying it will make or break a character is exaggerating. But it will make you less effective, as your spell attacks and DCs will all take -1 penalty from what you'd want. It doesn't matter if you're playing with other power gamers or not because both groups will likely have their main stat at 16 (assuming point buy).
To rephrase my overall point: Yes, it is technically power gaming to want this +1. But it also improves roleplaying, allowing players to have more character options. And I think the latter outweighs any negatives from homogenizing races or power gaming.
